Pavement-sweeper.



J. B. MARTIN.

PAVEMENT SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED 050. 3. 1914.

1,171,222. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

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J. B. MARTIN.

PAVEMENT SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3, 1914.

part of this application: Figure I.

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JOHN B. MARTIN, OF CINCINNATI, OI-IIO.

PAVEMENT-SWEEPER. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 3, 1914. I Serial No. 875,288.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoriN'B. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pavement-Sweepers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and us the same. i 7

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sweeping machines and more particularly to a pavement sweeper and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character wherein the brush thereof is adjustable to compensate for the use of the device in different directions and thus obviate the necessity of empty return trips over pace to be swept when sweepings are to be thrown in one direction only.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brush member which has its axis normally positioned in a plane at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal plane of the machine, and a still further object is to provide a device which is operated from a tractor wheel on the machine.

Still another object is to provide an improved construction for disposing the axis of the brush on different sides of the tractor wheel, according to the direction in which it is desired to propel the device.

Still another object is to provide a device which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be very efficient and useful in operation.

Vith these and numerous other objects in view my invention consists of the novel fea- V tures of construction, combination and ar rangement of parts which will be herein referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawingsforming a is a too l v ev f a levic constructed in cco d ance with my invention; Fig. 2 1s a side elevation thereof; Fig. 8 IS a verticallongitudinal section therethrough as seen' on line 3-3 of F 1g. 1 Fig. 4- 1s a vertical'transverse section through the same as seen on line H cf Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the device as seen on line 55 of Fi g. looking in the direction of the arrows;

and, Fig. 6 is a detail section of a slight modification of' the invention. 7

In describing the invention I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which '1 designatesa rectangular frame consisting of longitudinal and transverse bars,.one side or longitudinal bar of which is Vincreased in width as indicated at 2. Secured to the upper edge of the other longi tudinal side bar of the frame 1 about midway of its ends and extending transversely of the'frame l is a transverse bar 3. The end thereofopposite that secured to the last mentioned side bar is tenoned in and secured to the inner side edge of the bar 2, as indicated at 4c. In order to brace the bars of the frame 1 and the transverse'bar 3 thereof, the diagonal bracing bars 5 are'provided as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Secured to and depending from the side bar on the side of the frame opposite that having the bar 2 thereon are the hangers V or brackets 6 which form bearings and supporting means for the ground wheels 7. These Wheels form a support for one side of the frame, being disposed adjacent the front and rear ends of the latter and a central enlarged tractor wheel 6 is provided to support the opposite side of said frame. This tractor wheel is mounted for rotation on a stationary stub shaft 7 which is formed integral with the lower end of an angular arm 8. This arm 8 which is circularin cross section has one projecting portion thereof resting flatly upon the upper face of the longitudinalsidebar 2 and secured to the latter by means of a bolt 9. The extreme innerend of thelast mentioned pro jecting portion of the an ular arm is flattened and extended across the transverse bar 3 and this last mentioned end is secured to' the transverse bar 3 and the bar 2 by means of thebolts 10 one of which also tends to secure the aforesaid tenoned portions, as clearly shown, in Fig. 4c of the'drawings. The other arm portion of the angular arm 8 7 extends vertically in spaced relation to the longitudinal side bar of thefram'e so that. the tractor WheelJG is well spaced from the frame. The stub shaft 7 on which the last'rnentioned projecting portion of the Patented Feb. 8, 1916. V

arm is formed rests against the lower edge of the beam 11 which is secured to and depends from the under face the side bar 2 and also formed on said stub shaft adjacent its inner end is a strap or bracket 12 which is secured to the inner face of said beam 11 and also to the under face of the bar 2. This strap 12 has a portion thereof bent'angularly, as clea iv shown in Fig. l of the drawings and 1S secured to the bar by means of the bolt 9 which. also secures the upper angular portion of the arm 8 to said bar. From this construction it will be seen that the stub shaft is securely supported in position on the device.

A brush shaft 13 carrying a brush 14L has one end thereof rotatably mounted in a bearing 15 which depends from one side of the frame 1. This bearing is formed on the lower end of a threaded shaft 16 which extends through the first mentioned longitudinal beam or side bar of the frame and through one end of the transverse bar 3 as clearly shown in Fig. at of the drawings. The tl'ireaded stem or shaft 16 is engaged adjacent its ends with the nuts 17 which enable the bearing to be secured in various adjusted positions. The bearing proper is braced in position by means of an angular bracket or hanger 18 which is secured to and depends from the transverse bar 3 as shown in Fig. 4 and the engagement between this bracket or hanger and the bearing is made adjustable as indicated at 19 to compensate for the adjustability of the bearing. The shaft 13 is rotatably supported adjacent its opposite end in one end of a link or the like 20 which in turn is pivotally supported on the inner end of the stub shaft 7, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The end of the shaft 13 adjacent the link 20 has a pinion 21 thereon which meshes with a gear 22 formed on the tractor wheel 6. In view of the description above and the showing made in the drawings it will be seen that the pinion 21 which is constantly in mesh with the gear 22 causes the shaft 13 to be rotated as the device is propelled in either one direction or the other and it will also be seen in view of this construction that the shaft 13 is in a plane at an angle to the vertical planes of the transverse end bars of the frame 1. The material which is swept forwardly by the brush will, therefore, be directed toward one side of the machine, which is particularly advantageous in a device of this character, as appears obvious. The adjustability vertically of the bearing 15, as de scribed above, permits the axis of the brush to be adjusted to a horizontal position and parallel with the surface of the ground.

In most all sweeping machines of this character it is necessary, when reaching the termination of the course in one direction to turn the complete machine around in order to reverse the course of the machine which operation involves considerable time and labor and more especially requires greater amount of space. Furthermore, in such operations the sweepings are carried with the brush in the are which it describes in the turning of the machine. In my improved machine, however, I obviate these difliculties by providing for the adjustment of the brush shaft to the one side or the other of the tractor wheel so that it will not be necessary to turn the complete machine in order to reverse the direction of propulsion. To this end I provide a lever 23 which is ful crumed intermediate of its ends on the horizontally extending portion of the arm 8 and disposed through a. longitudinal slot 21 formed in the bar 2 of the frame. The extreme lower end of this lever has a roller 25 thereon which is adapted to contact with the surface of the ground at certain times in the operation of the device and the length of the portion of the lever projecting downwardly fro-m its fulcrum point is such that when the wheels of the machine are in contact with the surface of the ground this lever is always inclined. I This lever is also provided with a slot 26 adjacent its lower end which receives therethrough the adj acent projecting portion of the brush shaft 13. Thus fro-m this construction it will be seen that by the swinging of this lever on its fulcrum point the position of the pinion 21 and adjacent end of the shaft 13 may be adjusted to either one side or the other of the axis of the tractor wheel. The pinion 21 swings about the aXis of the tractor wheel on the link 20 while the lever 23 swings from its fulcrum point some distance above the stub .shaft 7 so that the slotted connection between the lever and the shaft 13 is necessary to compensate for the required play therebetween. In view of the length of the lever 23, the latter in its adjustment of the pinion 21 and shaft 13 raises the one side of the frame when said lever reaches substantially a vertical position.

Should the machine be set up as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and propelled in the direction of the arrow, that is toward the left side of the sheet and should it be desired to reverse the direction, it is only necessary to swing the lever 23 on its fulcrum point which disposes the brush to the opposite position on the other side of the aXis of the tractor wheel. The machine may then be propelled in the opposite direction without affecting the position of the frame.

It is of course desirable to normally position the lever in such a manner as to prevent the roller 25 from contacting with the surface of the ground and in carrying out this idea, said lever is formed with a ringhe latter projecting d bar 38. The upper the frame, as may certain times, butform of the device mentioned form.

description of the aproved device the same to use and the e readily understood 3 I have provided a efficient means for l of the invention.

ilarly described the 3 perform the func bvious that various ortion and in the :uction may be reads of the appended ng from the spirit re principles of the my invention, what ve class described, a nounted thereon ina shaft rotatably nd extendingtrans- )earing for one end link havin a bear said shaft, a brush 1 intermeshing pin- )tally mounted end tractor wheel, and last mentioned end he arc of a circle to sh'to opposite sides 2 class described, a carrying a gear the frame, a rotaransversely of the raft mounted to rong, a link pivotally the frame adjacent aving a bearing at pposite end of said ast mentioned end gear on the tractor inging said pinion circle to adjust the )osite sides of the class described, a

carrying a gear like portion 27 therein contiguous with and below its fulcrum point. This ring-like portion has a'plurality of registering openings 28 therein and a pin or stud 29 is adapted to be disposed through one of said openings to rest in engagement with the upper face of the bar 2 whereby to retain said lever in its adjusted positions. The lever is obviously capable of being retained in various adjusted positions in view of the plurality of openings 28 and through this medium the brush shaft may be adjusted somewhat with respect to the surface of the ground. Of course, in the operation of the device before the lever can be actuated to change the position of the brush, the pin 29 must be withdrawn from its position in engagement with j the opening in the ring-like portion 27.

This machine is preferably hand operated and in order to pull or push the same in one direction or the other a draw bar 30 is provided having a handle 31 at its outer end. The draw bar is bifurcated at its inner end as indicated at 32 and engaged with loops or staples 33 on the transverse bar 3. This construction enables the handle member to be readily disposed toward one end orthe other of the machine according tov the adjustment of the brush.

The brush member 14 consists of a drum 34 which is formed of a plurality'of laths or the like preferably secured together and engaged at their ends with end disks'35. The periphery of the drum formed by these laths is provided at regular intervals with dove-tail grooves 36 in which are snugly fitted strips or the like 37 carrying bristles. These strips while snugly fitting the dovetail grooves are readily removed so that in the event a portion of the brush becomes unduly worn or damaged, certain strips may be removed and new ones with new bristles substituted therefor.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slightly modified form of the invention which involves particularly the support for the tractor wheel and axle shaft. In this form of the inven tion, the widened or broad side bar of the frame is indicated as 38 from which de pends the beam 39 similar to the beam 11 described in connection with the first mentioned form. Secured to the upper face of the side bar 38 is a horizontally extending portion of an angular arm 40 which is similar to the arm 8 of the first mentioned form. This arm, however, differs from the arm 8 of the other form in that they vertically extending portion thereof is formed in sections and adjustably secured together, as indicated at 41. The lower end of this arm 40, as in the other form, is formed integral with a stub shaft 42 which forms an axle for the tractor wheel 43. This stub shaft 42 has an upwardly projecting arm 44 thereon which has a portion thereof reduced to provide a stem 45, t1 through the beam 39 an end of this reduced p01 through the horizontal 40 and is threaded for nut 46. A'shoulder is duction of this arm 4' adapted to contact wit the beam 39, when tllr normal positions'as show the medium of this cor seen that the stub shaf adjusted with respect t be found desirable at otherwise this modified is the same as the first 1 From the foregoing construction of my in manner of applying the operation thereof will b and it will be seen thai simple, inexpensive. and carrying out the objects While I have particl elements best adapted t tions set forth, it is 0' changes in form, prop minor details of consti sorted to, within the sec claims, without departi or sacrificing any of tl invention.

Having thus described I claim is:

1. In a sweeper of th frame, a tractor wheel 1 termediate of its ends, mounted on the frame a versely of the latter, a l of said shaft, apivoted ing for the other end of carried on said shaft, a1 ion, a gear on the. pivr of the shaft and the means for swinging the of the shaft and link in t adjust the end of the bru of the tractor wheel.

-2.'In a sweeper of th frame, a tractor wheel mounted at one side of table shaft extending t frame, one end of said sl tate and swing in a beari mounted at one end on 1 the traction wheel and h its opposite end for the o shaft, a. pinion on the l of the shaft engagi'ng the wheel, and means for sw and link in the arc of a 1 end of the brush to 0131 tractor wheel.

3. In a sweeper of the frame, a tractor wheel mounted thereon at one side intermediate of its ends, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, a shaft positioned vertically through one end of the frame and having an apertured bearing plate depending therefrom in which one end of the shaft is adapted to rotate and swing, a link pivotally mounted at one end on the frame ad acent the traction wheel and having a bearing at its opposite end for the opposite end of the shaft, connecting means between the last mentioned end of the shaft and the tractor wheel, a brush on said shaft to rotate therewith, and a lever for swinging said last mentioned end of the shaft and link in the arc of a circle on the frame to adjust one end of the brush to opposite sides of the axis of the tractor wheel.

4. In a sweeper of the class described, a frame, a tractor wheel mounted thereon intermediate of its ends, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, a bearing for one end of said shaft, a link pivotally mounted at one end on the frame and having a bearing at its opposite end for the opframe, a tractor wheel mounted thereon intermediate of its ends, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, a bearing for one end of said shaft, a, link pivotally mounted at one end on the frame and having a bearing at its opposite end for the opposite end of said shaft, connecting means between the last mentioned end of the shaft and the tractor wheel, a brush on said shaft to rotate therewith, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the frame and movable thereon to permit the lower end of the same to contact with the surface of the ground, said lever having a loose engagement with said shaft to adjust the latter in the arc of a cir cle and dispose the same on opposite sides of the axis of said tractor wheel, and means for retaining said lever in various adjusted positions on. the frame,

6. In a sweeper, a frame, a tractor wheel thereon, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, an adjustable bearing for one end of said shaft, a link pivotally mounted at its one end on the frame and having a hearing at its opposite end for the opposite end of said shaft, a gear on the tractor wheel, a pinion on the last mentioned end of said shaft normally engaged with. said gear, a brush carried on said shaft to rotate therewith, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the frame and adapted to be disposedinto engagement with the ground as the same is actuated, said lever having a loose connection with the last mentioned end of said shaft to adjust the latter around the lower half of said gear as the lever is actuated, whereby to position the one end of said shaft and brush on opposite sides of the axis of the tractor wheel, and means for retaining said lever in various adjusted positions.

'7. In a sweeper, a frame, a tractor wheel thereon, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, an adjustablebearing at one end of said shaft, a link pivotally mounted at its one end on the frame and having a hearing at its opposite end for the opposite end of said shaft, a gear on the tractor wheel, a pinion on the last mentioned end of said shaft normally engaged with said gear, a brush carried on said shaft to rotate therewith, a lever fulcrumed inter mediate of its ends on the frame, a roller mounted on the lower end of the lever adapted to be rotated upon engagement with the ground when the lever is actuated, said lever having a longitudinally extending slot adjacent its lower end through which the last mentioned end of said shaft is adapted to project to adjust the latter around the lower half of said gear as the lever is actuated, and means for retaining the lever in various adjusted positions.

8. In a sweeper, a frame, a tractor wheel thereon, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of the frame, an adjustable bearing at one end. of said shaft, a link pivotally mounted at one end on the frame and having a bearing at its opposite end for the opposite end of said shaft, a gear on the tractor wheel, a pinion on the last mentioned end of said shaft normally engaged with said gear, a brush carried on said shaft to rotate therewith, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on the frame, a roller on the lower end of the lever, said lever having a longitudinally extending slot adjacent its lower end, and a ring-like portion formed intermediate the ends of the lever having a plurality of openings whereby the lever may be secured in various adjusted positions in respect to the frame.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN B. MARTIN. Vi tnesses Gnomes GIOVANNETTI, L. O. HILTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 'Eatents,

Washington, D. G. 

